Sandwich generation

The term sandwich generation was introduced to the social work and the gerontology communities, respectively, by Dorothy Miller and Elaine Brody in 1981.[3][4] The construct refers originally to younger women in their thirties and forties who were taking care of their children, but also having to meet the needs of their parents, employers, friends, and others.

As people are living longer and children are growing up and needing continued care, the "sandwiching" is felt by both men and women who are in their fifties and sixties. The demographic could continue to change, but the idea remains the same,[5] with recent research focusing on the concept of the senior sandwich generation.[6]

The name comes from the idea that middle-aged adults are "sandwiched" between their dependent children and their dependent parents.

Carol Abaya, nationally recognized as an expert on aging and elder/parent care issues in the US, categorized the different scenarios involved in being a part of the sandwich generation this way:

• Traditional sandwich generation: those sandwiched between aging parents who need care and/or help and their own children.
• Club sandwich: those in their 40s, 50s or 60s sandwiched between aging parents, adult children and grandchildren, or those in their 20s, 30s and 40s, with young children, aging parents and grandparents. It is named after the multi-layered club sandwich.
• Open-faced sandwich: anyone else involved in elder care.[7]

Merriam-Webster officially added the term to its dictionary in July 2006.

Due to poor economy, research shows that modern American society has had substantial increase of young post-college kids who return home to live with their parents or continue living with their parents throughout college. In a study done by the Pew Research Center [8] in 2012, published in an article called “The Boomerang Generation,” about 29% of young adults ranging from the ages of 25–34 live with their parents. It is also becoming more acceptable; therefore, people who are in this situation are generally satisfied with their situation, which is likely to make it more common and less temporary. Now the parents of these young adults are being held responsible to care for their children longer than they expected, as well as now also being expected to assume the role of caretaker for their elderly parents.

On average, adults in the Sandwich Generation are spending approximately $10,000 and 1,350 hours on their parents and children combined per year. Typically, children require more money and “capital-intensive” care, while aging adults require more time and labor-intensive care.[9]

Becoming part of the Sandwich Generation can put a huge financial burden on families. On average, 48% of adults are providing some sort of financial support to their grown children, while 27% are their primary support. Additionally, 25% are financially supporting their parents as well.[10]

Some of the adults living in this sandwiched generation face financial problems regularly, having to support three generations at one time: their parents, their immediate family (self and spouse) and children.[10]

Becoming a part of the Sandwich Generation can affect your financial status, your personal time, health, and career development. Although this can affect both men and women, women are typically seen by the society as the primary supporter. In other words, women are the ones who are primarily affected; men support financially while women support emotionally and physically (they bathe, dress, toilet, clean the home, etc. while the men provide the money).[11]

Taking care of an elderly parent while caring for your own children is a very time consuming task. It can really affect your personal time; you are no longer able to do the things that you like to do, relax, sleep, etc. When all of these tasks start consuming your life, you become at risk for mental health problems. Depression and anxiety are a huge risk factor for the Sandwich Generation, especially for women who are involved. On the contrary, men, and some women, are typically at risk for loss of career development. They might be at the peak of their career and have to take a step down and lose their opportunity to be able to help care for their aging parent or growing children.[11]

Due to these struggles, caregivers may develop strong feelings of stress, burnout, and depression.[1] Locational aspects aside, most caregivers experience some common difficulties. Some of these difficulties include how to manage their time efficiently between children, older parent, family, work, and personal well being. Another challenge may be how to find the time to ensure a healthy marriage and a healthy self for the caregivers themselves. Caregivers are also dealing with the feelings of isolation and guilt that come along with being in this overworked role, oftentimes making the caregiver feel as if they are still not doing enough to help.[1] These caregivers often feel like they are “being pulled in two directions” causing symptoms of depression, marriage difficulties, and other emotional and psychological issues.[12] Many caregivers deal with older parents who are experiencing Alzheimer's and dementia, which makes daily functioning and memory very difficult for them.[7] Caregivers also struggle to help protect the assets of those they are caring for who are no longer competent enough to do it themselves.[7]

• Caregiver
• Direct support professional

• Nason. "Caring for kids, parents, sandwich generation".
• O'Brien, S. "How to Avoid Sandwich Generation Problems".
• Dolgen, E. "The Sandwich generation: caring for children and parents".
• Ngo, S. "Money Advice for the sandwich generation".
• Debby. "Sandwiched and strapped for cash".

• A Survival Course for the Sandwich Generation (New York Times article on Carol Abaya)